Mercedes-Benz sport-utility vehicles are the least likely SUVs to be recovered once stolen, as thieves target luxury models to export or dismantle.
Thirty-seven percent of the stolen GL Class SUVs are unrecovered, compared with 30 percent for Cadillac Escalades, the National Insurance Crime Bureau said. The figure is less than 15 percent for the Nissan Rogue and Ford Explorer, according to the NICB, which released a report on thefts of 2011-2013 model years in the 48 months ended Dec. 31.
Carjackers and thieves who are paid as much as $8,000 for an auto have been targeting luxury vehicles in New York and New Jersey and working with middlemen who load them into shipping containers for transport to West Africa, authorities said Feb. 27. Agencies including the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office announced charges that day against 29 people in connection with a theft ring.
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